Dietl Demands de Blasio Detention

Independent mayoral candidate and retired NYPD detective Bo Dietl demanded that Mayor Bill de Blasio be criminally charged in connection with campaign finance contributions from a witness testifying in the Norman Seabrook corruption trial. The witness, Jonah Rechnitz, testified that he made large contributions to de Blasio’s campaign and an separate political committee in exchange for access to de Blasio and actions from him.

Dietl dangled his old handcuffs, offering to personally take de Blasio into custody.

Video:

Here is Dietl’s full press conference:

The Rechnitz saga includes a significant chapter that predates his 2013 introduction to de Blasio. It’s been widely reported that Rechnitz bribed senior members of the NYPD, seeking a variety of favors and special treatment. I asked Dietl about that, including whether he believes that there’s a continuing problem in the NYPD. He condemned corruption broadly, including in the NYPD, and described how as detective he precluded other officers from stealing cash at a crime scene. He also said, however, that “I’m not gonna call out my brother officers.” Here’s our exchange: